Jewelry with a Cause: Gumuchian creates awareness for HoneyLove

American Gem Society member Gumuchian recently introduced a new collection they hope will help create awareness of the declining honeybee population, which is affecting plant life and food supply worldwide. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the collection – simply named “B” – will be donated to the non-profit, HoneyLove.org, which supports urban beekeeping and home gardens. According to recent studies, including those by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one in every three bites of food consumed in the United States is either directly or indirectly pollinated by bees.

“I have never been afraid of bees. I think they’re wonderful” said Patricia Gumuchian, who was inspired to design the collection after reading numerous articles about the effects that a declining honeybee population would have on the environment. “I look around our office of women and think about the worker bees – who are the female bees – and how valuable they are to our livelihood. Our family gatherings and holidays largely center on all types of foods. What would happen if these things just went away? The effects could be detrimental. We need to change what’s going on.”

The suite itself will be offered in 18K gold and includes both link and cuff bracelets, earrings, pendants, rings, and five different bee-related charms. “Many of our collections are inspired by nature” said Vice President of Sales, Myriam Gumuchian, “but this aspect of nature didn’t just inspire the designs, it also inspired us to be part of something bigger. A productive hive consists of successful teamwork, which we demonstrate daily in our New York office. The ‘B’ collection represents our appreciation of these remarkable creatures and our goal is to bring awareness to this growing problem. If honeybees continue to decline at the rate they are, we are all in big trouble.”